President Uhuru Kenyatta has been lauded for his transformative
leadership which has continued to change Kenya for the prosperity of her
people.
Speaking last night when he hosted a State Banquet in honour of
President Kenyatta who is in Mauritius on a four-day state visit, Prime
Minister Pravind Jugnauth termed the Kenyan leader as the ‘architect of a
new Kenya’.
The Mauritius Prime Minister said President Kenyatta’s Big 4 development
agenda is in many ways similar to the development goals being pursued
by his government in order to achieve economic growth, shared prosperity
and improved quality of life for Mauritians.
“I’m pleased to note the convergence of our vision and the Big 4 agenda
in particular as it focuses on innovation, accelerating growth of the
service sector, creating affordable housing and addressing
infrastructural deficits” said PM Jugnauth.
He said President Kenyatta’s zeal to transform the lives of Kenyans and
Africans as a whole is an inheritance from his father, Mzee Jomo
Kenyatta who cherished and was at the forefront in the struggle for the
freedom and liberty of Africans.
“Excellency, I would like from the very onset to pay homage to the
founder of the Kenyan nation, Jomo Kenyatta, your father. He was the
living embodiment of African nationalism and his love for freedom
inspired many to take up arms against colonialism,” the Prime Minister
said.
Prime Minister Jugnauth thanked President Kenyatta for coming out
strongly to support Mauritius in its efforts to decolonize the Changos
Archipelango from the British.
“I wish to recall here Kenya’s prompt acceptance to participate in the
public hearings before the International Court of Justice in September
2018 on the request for an advisory opening regarding the legal
consequences of the separation of Changos Archipelango from Mauritius in
1965,” he said.
He pointed out that the Mauritius-Kenya relationship is sustained by a
common interest of entrenching the rule of law and a deep desire to
transform the two countries into engines of growth in Africa.
“The Mauritius-Kenya partnership is premised on the common will of the
two countries to evolve rule based systems at national and international
levels, to reinforce the rule of law, fight corruption and make this
part of Africa an engine of growth for the continent,” the Mauritius
leader said.
The Prime Minister pledged his government’s support for Kenya in its bid
for a non-permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council for the
term 2021 to 2022 at the elections slated for this year.
He said the six trade agreements and MOU’s signed between the two
countries would facilitate economic cooperation, investments and trade,
and remove non-tariff barriers to trade.
“A number of Mauritius firms are already present in Nairobi and there is
a keen interest from manufacturers to establish joint partnerships or
pursue single investments in Kenya,” he said.
President Kenyatta welcomed Mauritian investors to take advantage of the
many opportunities in Kenya saying the newly signed bilateral
frameworks create an even better platform for trade and investment.
“I wish to take this opportunity to welcome Mauritian investors to
explore the numerous trade and investment opportunities in Kenya. I
assure you of Kenya’s full support, and give my guarantee that you will
find a conducive investment environment in Kenya,” President Kenyatta
said.
The Kenyan leader encouraged the Mauritius business community to take
advantage of his 2017 directive, which enables all Africans to receive
visas upon arrival in Kenya. Mauritius citizens don’t need visa to visit
Kenya.
President Kenyatta pointed out that his visit to Mauritius is an
excellent opportunity to expand the scope of the two countries bilateral
cooperation with a view of deepening the people-to-people interactions.